Humanities @ The Observatory
The Cincinnati Observatory Center, affiliated with the University of Cincinnati, has initiated an annual lecture series: Humanities @ The Observatory. The series will feature two UC faculty.
The first lecture will be When Physics Saved Music: Jules Lissajous and the Surprising Story of Standard Pitch, by Steven Turner, senior specialist, Smithsonian Institution at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 20, at the Cincinnati Observatory, 3489 Observatory Place. Admission is $10. In the first half of the 19th century something was wrong with music in Europe. Composers who traveled to other countries complained that their works didn't sound right. Famous singers refused to perform for fear of injuring their voices and musicians found that traditional works were becoming unplayable. Scientists all over Europe studied the problem and found that standard pitch, the tone to which musicians tuned their instruments, was rising. In 1858 Emperor Napoleon III appointed a panel of experts to find a solution. A young scientist named Jules Lissajous was appointed to assist them. This is his story. Turner's lecture will include an audio-visual presentation and a display of instruments from the Smithsonian collections.
Future lectures will feature in December David Levy, co-discoverer of Comet Shoemaker-Levy, on Joining Science and Literature: Shakespeare, Eclipses, and Changing Ideas of the Cosmos; in January Tracy Teslow, assistant professor of history in UC's McMicken College, on "Science and Human Evolution: Missteps on the Track of Man"; and in February Judith Spraul-Schmidt. assistant professor of history, Raymond Walters College, on the growth of suburbs. For information, call the Observatory Center at (513)321-5186.
Related Stories
UC students receive inaugural Arnold I. Miller awards
November 7, 2024
Two students have won the Arnold I. Miller Awards for Outstanding Rising Senior in the UC’s School for Environment and Sustainability (SEaS). Seniors Daoud Saadeh and Jennifer Tomak were the first two recipients of the honor. The award recognizes students for their involvement in the community and their work in the classroom. The award is named for Miller, an emeritus professor of geology, former senior associate dean, and a formative director of SEaS, which is part of UC’s College of Arts and Sciences. SEaS was established just a year ago, created in response to student and faculty demand for a comprehensive hub of environmental research and teaching. An interdisciplinary school, it offers students the opportunity to deep-dive into a curriculum that includes both robust environmental science and social sciences at the same time. It also includes opportunities for co-op, internship, research and study-abroad experiences. Although both Tomak and Saadeh are majoring in environmental studies, they both took a different path to get there.
First DNA from Pompeii victims tells story of volcanic disaster
November 7, 2024
UC Classics Professor Steven Ellis talks to Nature about a new study examining DNA of victims of the massive eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.
First-generation students find a home at UC
November 7, 2024
The University of Cincinnati celebrates first-gen students, the Bearcats who are the first in their families to attend college. They bring new perspectives to student life and account for about 1 of every 5 students on campus. Nov. 8 is First Generation College Student Day, celebrated across the nation.